Dunkirk

American  

[duhn-kurk] / ˈdʌn kɜrk /

noun

1. French Dunkerque.  a seaport in N France: site of the evacuation of a British expeditionary force of over 330,000 men under German fire May 29–June 4, 1940.

2. a period of crisis or emergency when drastic measures must be enforced.

   The smaller nations were facing a financial Dunkirk.

3. a city in W New York, on Lake Erie.

---

Dunkirk Cultural  

1. The scene of a remarkable, though ignominious, retreat by the British army in World War II. Dunkirk, a town on the northern coast of France, was the last refuge of the British during the fall of France, and several hundred naval and civilian vessels took the troops back to England in shifts over three days.

---

Discover More

The term Dunkirk is sometimes used to signify a desperate retreat.

Example Sentences

SoftBank said late Saturday that its initial investment, denominated in euros at €45 billion, aims to deliver up to 3.1 gigawatts of computing capacity across France at sites in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain by 2031.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Blum said that Schneider would take part in the design and supply of all the equipment with a factory to be built at the channel port of Dunkirk.

From Barron's • May 30, 2026

It will also work with French energy-technology company Schneider Electric to build facilities to make components for the data centers near the port city of Dunkirk in the north of the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Nolan won two Oscars in 2024 for his last release, Oppenheimer, and also is known for films including Dunkirk, Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The electricity supply from Dunkirk must have been cut, but round the edges of some heavily curtained windows they saw the ocher glow of candlelight and oil lamps.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan